Although I saw Pan’s Labyrinth several months ago, I am still awed with the relation and correlation that the film had with much of the topics and general themes of ancient Greek and Roman mythology. To begin with, there is the clear representation of Pan, the character within Ovid, this physical interpretation of Pan was not quite what I had in mind. Although the character is friendly throughout the film, never dangerous, we are still weary of his intentions for he seems as though me might potentially be dangerous. In the film, Pan is somewhat frightening especially for a child this old twisted figure asking you to perform fantastic feats might seem fairly sketchy. In the same sense however, this is how many of the stories within Ovid are portrayed. Although the gods bring great fortune and gifts to some, the also have a darker side that many fear and quite a few have felt the wrath. The entire mood of the film follows the same premise, there are scenes of beauty, fantasy and indescribable magic for this poor girl, but at the same time her world is crowded with horrible violence and pain, the side of the gods exposed to such characters as Arachne, Terreus and many, many others.
There are also relations to Homer, first in the Iliadic sense that in order to return home and save her loved ones, the young girl must defeat terrible beasts and overcome great misfortune and suffering. Secondly when she enters the underworld of the man with eyeball hands she is too entering Persephone’s underworld, and as in the Homeric hymns, the young girl eats the tempting fruit and almost solidifies her position in the underworld, I am dying to see the film again because I could only imagine far more allusions to Ovid that I simply had not picked up on. Great film though, everyone should get a chance to see it. And see it through the eyes of the past.
There are also relations to Homer, first in the Iliadic sense that in order to return home and save her loved ones, the young girl must defeat terrible beasts and overcome great misfortune and suffering. Secondly when she enters the underworld of the man with eyeball hands she is too entering Persephone’s underworld, and as in the Homeric hymns, the young girl eats the tempting fruit and almost solidifies her position in the underworld, I am dying to see the film again because I could only imagine far more allusions to Ovid that I simply had not picked up on. Great film though, everyone should get a chance to see it. And see it through the eyes of the past.
Here is a link to see the movie preview:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EqYiSlkvRuw its pretty cool but the guy narrating is that really cheezy movie voice guy so it may lose some of its beauty to that but its still pretty cool
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